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Tuning Up the House
Energy auditors may use one or a combination of methods to assess a home: a blower door, infrared camera, a duct blaster to test ducts for leakage. They may also provide their reports in a variety of ways: a spreadsheet for utility bill analysis, a list of needed fixes, etc.
Homeowners can expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $700, as the price varies due to location, size of house and complexity the layout.
When Gibson conducts a home energy audit, he asks the homeowners what they’ve noticed about energy loss in the house and the location of problem areas. Then he begins his investigation, looking into combustion safety on the water heater, the furnace and gas ovens. Gibson determines how much carbon monoxide the appliances produce and makes certain the devices are vented properly.
He then inspects the windows, doors and the exterior to make sure everything is tight. Next, Gibson tackles the insulation in the attic and the basement.
“I do a solar access survey to see if there is any opportunity to use the sun,” says Gibson. “Some people have great opportunities but never take advantage of the sun’s energy-saving benefits.”
He uses an infrared camera to look for cold spots throughout the house, explaining, “some of those cold spots might be missing insulation or have cracks letting in cold air.”
Using a blower door test that depressurizes the house, Gibson diagnoses major leakage in the basement, the attic, porch overhangs and the garage.
He summarizes his findings for the homeowner under categories that include big and small opportunities and health and/or safety issues. Although it’s not a part of the investigation process, Gibson tells his clients about the incentives and credits available. “At the end of this phase,” he says, “the clients have enough information to decide to go ahead with the second phase by completing the improvements. They will know the opportunities, how much it will cost and how much they can save.”
In the second phase of the assessment Gibson uses computer software to build an energy model of the house. He includes the walls, windows, doors, heating system and type of fuel used in the house. Then he takes the existing energy bill and compares it to the model to see if the dwelling is consuming as much energy as the model estimated. He gets rough estimates of all the improvements being considered and then does a cost benefit analysis to see just how much money and energy can be saved by each improvement.
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